Are prawns bad for you?

A:

Quick Answer

Even though prawns sometimes get a bad reputation because of cholesterol, nutritionists have found them to have some nutritional value. Prawns have other value besides nutrition but mostly contain a host of nutrients the body needs. Prawns have a few nutrients humans need including iron, vitamin E and zinc.

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Dietitian Pauline Chan tells Men's Health magazine that 100 grams of prawns contains 20 grams of protein and 1.7 grams of fat, one-third of which comes from omega-3 fatty acids. She also notes that prawns may boost fertility. While Chan acknowledges that 100 grams of prawns contains up to 152 milligrams of cholesterol, she also explains that this cholesterol in food differs from the cholesterol in the body, meaning it has no direct harmful dietary effect.

Of course, much of the nutritional value comes from different factors such as where they spawned and how cooks prepare them. For instance, deep-fried prawns in a breaded crust do not have the same nutritional value as those prepared via other methods. Prawn eaters also have to consider the variety of prawns with tiger, or king, prawns as the most commonly eaten variety and available raw or cooked, with or without the heads and with or without the shells.